1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted system, and more particularly to a vehicle-mounted system comprising a security device for detecting an abnormal condition for a vehicle and generating an alarm, and an emergency communication service unit (MayDay Unit) including a mobile telephone that informs a response center of the occurrence of an emergency in the event of emergency, the device and unit being connected in communication with one another.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vandalism of vehicles and cases of vehicle theft have increased with a deterioration in public security, and car security devices have become increasingly used as a means for protecting vehicles against those acts. With a car security device mounted in a vehicle, when the driver depresses an arming key of a remote control after getting out of the vehicle and closing a door, the remote control transmits an arming command code. The security device receives the arming command code and starts the arming operation (security operation) in response to the command. During the arming mode, the security device monitors outputs of various sensors such as a door sensor, a radar sensor, a hood (bonnet) sensor and a trunk sensor, and generates predetermined alarms upon actuation of the sensors. For example, if the door sensor detects opening of the door during the arming mode, the security device sounds a siren by itself, or controls the head lamps to flash on and off, or prevents the startup of an engine (cuts off a starter), thereby protecting the vehicle from theft.
Also, recent years have seen widespread use of an emergency communication service system that establishes a connection between a vehicle and a particular place (response center) via a mobile telephone network in the event of emergency, and enables the driver to receive various services from the response center. Such a service system is called a MayDay System or Telematics System in the United States.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the MayDay System. Numeral 11 denotes an emergency communication service unit (MayDay Unit) mounted in a vehicle, and 12 denotes a response center responding to a request from the emergency communication service unit (MayDay Unit). Numeral 13 denotes an emergency medical center sending an ambulance in accordance with an instruction from the response center, and 14 denotes a roadside assistance center responding to troubles such as a tire puncture and running out of gas. In the emergency communication service unit (MayDay Unit) 11, 11a denotes a MayDay control unit comprising a cellular transceiver 11a-1, a GPS receiver/demodulator 11a-2 for measuring a vehicle position, an acoustic circuit, a microcomputer for control processing, and so on. The MayDay Unit 11 further includes a cellular antenna (car phone antenna) 11b, a GPS antenna 11c, a hands free microphone 11d, an external speaker 11e, a communication button 11f operated when making a call to the response center, a panic button 11g for informing the response center of the occurrence of an emergency in the event of emergency, a door automatic locking/unlocking unit 11h, and an engine disabling unit 11i. The cellular transceiver 11a-1, the cellular antenna 11b, the hands free microphone 11d, and the external speaker lie together constitute a mobile telephone.
Examples of services provided by the MayDay System are as follows;
(1) communicating the occurrence of an accident or emergency,
(2) remote door unlocking of a vehicle locked without a key at hand,
(3) roadside assistance,
(4) engine disable,
(5) navigation assistance, and
(6) search for a stolen car.
In the service (1), communicating the occurrence of an accident or emergency, the user operates the panic button 11g to call the response center 12 with the mobile telephone, thereby informing the response center of the occurrence of an accident or emergency. The response center 12 transfers the received notice to the emergency medical center 13 and a police station so as to take immediate action for medical treatment and accident management. In the service (2), remote door unlocking of a vehicle locked without a key at hand, the user uses an external telephone to call the response center 12 in order to unlock the car doors when the keys are inside the locked car. Then, the response center 12 transmits an unlocking command to the MayDay control unit 11a, thereby automatically unlocking the locked vehicle. In the service (3), roadside assistance, upon a vehicle suffering a tire puncture or running out of gas, the user operates the communication button 11f to call the response center 12 with the mobile telephone, and informs the response center orally of the need for help from the response center 12. The response center 12 transfers the received notice to the roadside assistance center 14 so as to take an action for sending a relief team. In the service (4), engine disable, if a vehicle should be stolen, the user informs the response center 12 of the theft from an external telephone. The response center 12 transmits an ignition cut command to the MayDay control unit 11a, thereby disabling the engine. In the service (5),navigation assistance, an operator at the response center 12 guides a route to the destination by voice. In the service (6), search for a stolen car, if a vehicle should be stolen, the user informs the response center 12 of the fact from an external telephone. The response center 12 transmits a vehicle position request command to the MayDay control unit 11a to acquire the vehicle position from the MayDay control unit 11a, and advises the user of the vehicle position.
Generally speaking, with the MayDay System, the user can receive various services by operating the communication button 11f or the panic button 11g, which are installed in the vehicle, so that the MayDay Unit 11 is connected to the response center 12, or by communicating with the response center using an external telephone. Even with the communication button 11f or the panic button 11g operated, however, a connection to the response center 12 sometimes cannot be immediately established because of network congestion or some other reason. In such a case, since the conventional MayDay Unit 11 has no display unit, a problem arises in that the user cannot easily confirm whether a connection to the response center 12 has been completely established, or whether an established communication line has been cut off. Especially when the user has operated the panic button in the event of emergency, a sense of unease is increased if the user cannot recognize whether the occurrence of a panic state has been definitely communicated to the response center.
Further, the security device can repel a thief, and the MayDay System can take an action to search for a stolen car or prevent the startup of an engine. Another problem, however, is that a conventional security device cannot collect sufficient evidence to prove who is a thief, and hence is not sufficient from the viewpoint of a lawsuit.
Therefore, a first object of the present invention is to enable the user to confirm whether a connection to the response center 12 has been completely established upon operation of the communication button 11f or the panic button 11g of the MayDay System, and whether an established communication line has been cut off.
A second object of the present invention is to enable a security device to collect sufficient evidence to prove who is a thief.
According to the present invention, the above first object is achieved by a vehicle-mounted system having the following features: (1) an LED capable of emitting light in two colors is provided in a security device, (2) the security device and an emergency communication service unit are connected in communication with one another, (3) when a connection to a response center is completely established upon operation of a communication switch, the emergency communication service unit requests the security device to turn on the LED to emit light in a first color (green), (4) when a connection to the response center is completely established upon operation of a panic switch, the emergency communication service unit requests the security device to turn on the LED to emit light in a second color (red), and (5) the security device controls the LED to emit light in the requested color.
According to the present invention, the above second object is achieved by a vehicle-mounted system having the following features: (1) the vehicle-mounted system includes a recording unit, such as a concealed camera, for recording an image of the interior of the vehicle in response to an instruction from a security device, (2) the security device instructs the recording unit to record an image of the interior of the vehicle upon detection of an abnormality and communicates the occurrence of the abnormality to an emergency communication service unit, and (3) the emergency communication service unit connects a mobile telephone to a response center in accordance with the notice communicated from the security device, and transmits the image recorded by the recording unit to the response center.